A teaching job overseas can offer you life-changing events, enriching classroom experiences, and superb opportunities to travel and see different parts of the world. Teaching is one of a few professions that allows you to go and see the world. If you possess a degree and TEFL certification, you can score an amazing teaching position in virtually any corner of the globe!
Do you know where to look for an international teaching job overseas?
For young, adventuresome teaching graduates or veteran teachers, the prospects have never looked better. That being, in the international education markets.
The competition for new teaching jobs at home is intense. In many international markets, however, teachers have a lot of choices. Before settling down with a family, why not see the world? If you have a family, take the opportunity to immerse them in new cultures and worldly experiences.
English teaching opportunities exist in almost all countries and continents.
Asia
Asia continues to be the number one market for teachers and tutors. In China, 400 million people, or one-third of the population, are studying English.
The demand for native English teachers is so high that many schools ask Europeans to feign an American or British identity. Just a few years ago, until recently, being eclipsed by China, South Korea spent the most money on English education in the world.
South Korean schools have introduced robots that teach English to the classroom. EngKey, for example, is a robot whose face is a monitor from which a live teacher provides English lessons and singing and dancing.
Through online learning, some schools have hundreds of students linked to one English tutoring session. Learning by this method is more common in China, where schools are scrambling to meet the demand.
Africa
Humanitarian teaching opportunities provide a chance to gain multicultural teaching experience. Zimbabwe has 15,000 vacant teaching positions. It’s not currently churning enough teachers in their school system with a high level of poverty, AIDs, and corruption; this former British colony has had a harder time attracting foreign teachers.
It is an opportunity for those who want to make a difference in the lives of Zimbabwean children. Some teachers choose to take these more challenging humanitarian assignments on a short-term basis, such as for a summer or a semester.
Middle East
Toronto-based TeachAway says it will place 10,000 teachers in the Middle East this year. There are plenty of attractive and high-paying teaching opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. These are conservative Islamic countries that, for some, can be a very uncomfortable living situation.
However, for the traditional teacher, you will enjoy a high standard of living and warm climate in these oil-rich countries, which, despite their strict moral codes, have large English-speaking ex-pat communities. Salaries are high, and the cost of living low.
Wealthy cosmopolitan cities such as Dubai have traditionally attracted families. The high quality of life attracts American teachers with 10 or 15 years of experience and families in tow who have been struggling to find work in Western countries due to budget cuts.
South America
There is a high demand to learn English throughout South America. And since Spanish is most often the most spoken language in these countries, having some Spanish speaking skills will greatly help you choose to move to one of these countries. As an English teacher, you will have the option of teaching in English language schools, international schools, or private tutoring.
To make South America your new home, you will usually be required to either have TEFL certification or at least a few years of teaching experience to your name. If you have both these credentials, then your job search should become even easier.
To teach in a South American country for longer than six months, you will need a work visa. These can be difficult to obtain unless you work for a reputable school. If you work for an accredited international school, they will often sponsor you for a visa if you sign a longer contract with the school.
Europe
Europe remains a popular dream destination for English teachers looking to teach abroad because it offers modern amenities, historical sites, cultural activities, and a safe, community-oriented atmosphere. You can easily travel to close neighboring countries when you’re not working.
Because of the vastly different countries in Europe, you have the opportunity to learn a different language depending on the country you choose to call home for a while. Whether you have your eye on Italy, Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, or Spain, there is a country in Europe that will have what you’re looking for in a teaching job overseas.
When seeking to teach in Europe, you need to be ready for steep competition. Europe is harder to gain employment in versus areas that are actively recruiting English teachers, like Asia. To be considered for a teaching position in Europe, you will need a Bachelor’s degree, TEFL certification, and native English speaking skills.
It won’t be easy to obtain a work visa on your own if you are not an EU citizen. The easiest way for you to get a work permit is to get the school that hires you to sponsor your work visa.
Go ahead! Throw a dart at a map of the world and start researching. The opportunities are numerous, and I’m sure you will land an attractive teaching job overseas. View more information about teaching jobs abroad.
